Now that my good friend Katie has left the Star, I will now be posting stats and tidbits for Cowboy Football games on MC.com on weekends. I'm presently in the middle of game film from Friday's loss to Sidney, but I'll post everything pertinent on here as soon as I get it.

My preliminary observations from watching Friday's game film:

1.) The Cowboys have all the pieces to be a great team.

2.) Playing the way they did against Sidney, the Cowboys won't make the playoffs.

3.) Playing the way they did against Belgrade, the Cowboys could have a special season.

4.) They have to decide what kind of team they want to be.

A few tidbits before I complete the official game stats:

This was Miles City's worst loss to Sidney. Ever. The previous worst was a 27-0 loss in 1992 against what might have been the Eagles' best squad. Sidney is fast, hits hard, and swarms to the ball. Prior to the game, I categorized Sidney as being similar to, but not quite good as, Belgrade, but the Eagles are better than the Panthers and very well might win the Eastern 'A' this season.

The Eagles were also apparently sick of losing to the Cowboys, as this was Sidney's first victory over Miles City since 2007. The eight-game win streak was the longest run in the series between the teams.

I'll post game, season, and career stats on here as I get them compiled. I will also include stats for all Class A football teams, so that you can know where the Cowboys rank. It would be great if newspapers still did this, but fortunately, this forum exists.

Go Cowboys!

Thanks Brian. I always enjoy your analysis and was missing it this season.

And to the Glendive SOB who down voted your post, I hope your albino children contract hemophilia.

Who the hell voted down the post? Yeesh.

I voted it down, because I want to be part of something special, even if that something was playing in that 1992 game, which is now only the second-worst loss ever to Sidney. Second place? Procreate that.

As promised, here are the stats and tidbits from the Cowboys' 41-0 loss to Sidney on Friday.

Miles City Team Stats
Team Rushing - 20-20-0
Team Passing - 16-24-116-0-3
Total Offense - 44-136-0

Miles City Individual Stats
Rushing - Jacob Morris 10-30-0, Joey Richard 5-14-0, Jacob Swope 2-(minus-2)-0, Gabe Gundlach 2-(minus-2)-0, Team 1-(minus-20)-0 (bad snap).
Passing - Gabe Gundlach 16-24-116-0-3
Receiving - Jacob Swope 6-62-0, Tyler Burk 3-39-0, Kip Krebsbach 3-14-0, Zack Dinardi 3-10-0, Jacob Morris 1-1-0.

Sidney Team Stats
Team Rushing - 42-338-5
Team Passing - 3-7-61-1-0
Total Offense - 49-399-6

Sidney Individual Stats
Rushing - Alec Lovegren 18-159-3, Dawson McGlothlin 16-95-2, Sawyer Thogerson 6-76-1, Michael McGinnis 1-7-0, Waylong VanBuren 1-1-0.
Passing - Dawson McGlothlin 3-7-61-1-0
Receiving - Alec Lovegren 2-26-1, Trace Jones 1-35-0.

Observations

First, the Good:

...

...

(Okay, struggling a bit here)

Even though the Cowboys didn't rush the ball much, they had stretches when they almost looked like the run-first teams of old. Jacob Morris had a stretch of rushes covering 8, 6, and 6 yards before the drive was killed on consecutive incomplete passes. Joey Richard got some action in the fourth quarter and ran hard.

Gabe Gundlach completed over 60 percent of his passes for the fourth consecutive week and was over 66 percent for the second straight week. Most of the passes didn't cover much ground, but one that did was a gorgeous 38-yard pass and run to Jacob Swope that covered 38 yards on the Cowboys' first drive.

The Bad:

There's a lot to list here, so I'll keep it brief. The Cowboys got housed, trucked, taken behind the woodshed, horse-whipped, thoroughly outplayed, outmuscled, and outhit. Friday's game was the Cowboys' worst loss since a 53-0 season-opening defeat at the hands of Powell in 2013 and their worst against an Eastern 'A' opponent since a 44-0 walloping against Billings Central during the forgettable 2007 season.

The Ugly:

Seven penalties for 55 yards, three interceptions, and 20 net rushing yards won't help a team beat anyone, let alone a team I now believe will win the Eastern 'A' Conference. The Cowboys' rushing total was their worst since gaining a mere eight yards against Hardin in the season finale of the 2012 season.

What's Next:

The Cowboys will host the 2-3 Hardin Bulldogs in what is, simply, a must-win game for both teams. A loss to Hardin will effectively sink Miles City's playoff hopes. The positive news is that the Bulldogs are the kind of team the Cowboys need to play after having their confidence shaken against the Eagles.

Hardin has two wins this season, but they are against the two worst programs in the state, Browning and Livingston. As such, it's hard to gauge how good Hardin actually is, but suffice it to say, Miles City's 2-3 record is more impressive than Hardin's matching mark.

The Cowboys can - and should - get their mojo working this Friday. If they do, they'll be in a position where the playoffs are a strong possibility. If not, the following games against Laurel and Billings Central could be uncomfortable, to say the least. The Cowboys can decide what kind of team they want to be remembered as.

Season/career stat update to follow.

Even though Tyler Burk was held far below his season averages in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, the senior wide receiver is still in the midst of a historic season. Burk isn't just on pace to shatter team records, he stands a better than average shot at challenging Eastern 'A' Conference and Class A state records, as well.

Burk entered last week's game as the leading receiver in the state with 36 catches for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns, totals which were 12 catches and 153 yards than any other player in the state. Only Columbia Falls' Braxton Reiten had more touchdowns (11).

It is worth noting that the best receiver in CCDHS history, Alec Haughian, finished his senior year with 33 catches for 662 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games, totals which are virtually identical to Burk's stats through FOUR contests. Simply put, what Burk has accomplished to start the season has been unprecedented.

With the rather pedestrian totals against Sidney included, Burk has 39 catches for 703 yards and 10 touchdowns, giving him an average of just under 8 catches for 140.6 yards per contest. At that pace, Burk would finish the regular season with 70 catches for 1265 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Class A record for receptions in a season is 72 by Havre's Daine Solomon in 2003. Fellow Blue Pony (and current Tennessee Titan) Marc Mariani set the yardage record of 1237 in 2004. Both marks were set in 12-game seasons. Mariani and teammate Coda Tchida each had 16 touchdowns that season, a state record matched by Columbia Falls' Ty Morgan in 2013.

Suffice it to say that Burk is on pace to break every single season receiving record in CCDHS, Eastern 'A' Conference, and Class A history.

The current single-season reception record for CCDHS and the Eastern 'A' Conference is held by Alec Haughian, who had 62 catches in 2013. Haughian had 934 yards receiving that season, establishing the Cowboys record. Wyatt Lesh had 11 touchdown receptions in 2015 to break Haughian's mark of 10 in 2014.

Billings Central's Dallas Leslie holds the Eastern 'A' Conference's record for receiving yards in a single season, having accumulated 984 in 2001. Central's Jacob Stanton had 13 touchdown receptions in 2011 to set the conference mark.

Career-wise, Burk has 108 receptions for 1850 yards and 20 touchdowns. He ranks second behind Haughian (120-1954-23) in all three categories in CCDHS history. The conference record for receptions is held by Billings Central's Doug Reid, who had 129 catches from 1993-95. Haughian holds the conference record for yards. Sidney's Clay Schreder still owns the Eastern 'A's mark for touchdown receptions, with 24 from 1989-91.

There have been a total of nine 1000-yard receiving seasons in Class 'A' history and only four players (Morgan, Whitefish's Logan Harwood, Havre's Parker Filius, and Whitefish's Jed Nagler) have accumulated as many as 2,000 yards on catches in a career. Burk is set to join them (as is Hamilton's Bridger Bauder). At his present pace, Burk's career totals would stand at 139-2412-28 and would set new state records for career receiving yards and touchdowns. A playoff run would put him in range to challenge Filius' Class A record of 154 receptions.

As the season progresses, I will update Burk's stats and standing amongst his peers this season. I will also include information about other Cowboys and Montana players. My plan is to provide updated state stat leaders on a weekly basis. For now, enjoy.

Do we have any defensive stats.

Sidney's offensive stats are Miles City's defensive stats, Levi.

If you're wondering about individual defensive stats, no. And in the case of this game, that's probably a good thing.

Thanks Brian.

Love hearing your Eastern A takes. Sorely missed.

MC needs to be able to run the ball, especially as the weather has more and more potential to be like last Friday night. They can't count on perfect weather every time they play the rest of the season. The game was wet and a constant drizzle, which makes passing difficult, especially deep passing, so they need to be able to run the ball and finish drives with the run. Also of Friday on every deep ball they double teamed Burke, so they need to develop a compliment to him deep as I think a lot of teams are going to start double teaming Burke. It makes sense to double team Burke as he is terrific running under and catching the deep ball. If you double team him, it takes away MC's best weapon so Gundlach needs to look to his second receiver when Burke is double teamed deep instead of forcing the ball into a double team.


Of course we can all just hope and pray they get perfect, dry weather every game the rest of the season because if they do, watch out...

There were a few passes that weren't caught due to the weather, but there were some pretty bad decisions, too. Completing 16 out of 24 passes at the high school level is outstanding, so catching the ball wasn't the problem. The problem was that Sidney's secondary both anticipated AND closed to the ball well. The short passes to the flat didn't gain much yardage and the longer passes were into double or triple coverage. Honestly, weather didn't factor any more or any less than the average game.

The good news is that this will be a great week to right the ship, so to speak.

Here are your Class A leaders for passing, rushing, and receiving through games of 9/23:

Passing (ranked by yards per game):

Dakota Bridwell, Columbia Falls - 69-108-1249-22-1 (312.3 ypg)
Gabe Gundlach, Miles City - 89-144-1208-13-12 (241.6 ypg)
Liam LeCoure, Stevensville - 59-125-760-4-8 (190.0 ypg)
Tanner Wilson, Polson - 44-78-740-9-2 (185.0 ypg)
Bridger Bauder, Hamilton - 44-70-544-4-4 (184.7 ypg)
Ty Hoppie, Frenchtown - 67-127-839-5-4 (167.8 ypg)
Tanner Kump, Butte Central - 51-92-794-7-3 (158.8 ypg)
Troy Andersen, Dillon - 56-93-592-3-3 (148.0 ypg)
Derek Kastella, Whitefish - 66-114-591-3-5 (118.2 ypg)
Trey Murphy, Havre - 40-82-560-5-6 (112.0 ypg)
Carson Rostad, Hamilton - 37-55-552-7-2 (110.4 ypg)

Passing (ranked by NFL passer rating formula):

Dakota Bridwell, Columbia Falls - 69-108-1249-22-1 (139.2)
Carson Rostad, Hamilton - 37-55-552-7-2 (124.4)
Tanner Wilson, Polson - 44-78-740-9-2 (116.4)
Tanner Kump, Butte Central - 51-92-794-7-3 (96.0)
Gabe Gundlach, Miles City - 89-144-1208-13-12 (83.9)
Bridger Bauder, Hamilton - 44-70-544-4-4 (82.1)
Troy Andersen, Dillon - 56-93-592-3-3 (76.1)
Ty Hoppie, Frenchtown - 67-127-839-5-4 (73.6)
Jet Campbell, Billings Central - 25-69-353-6-2 (70.5)
Derek Kastella, Whitefish - 66-114-591-3-5 (62.4)

Notes: Bauder started the first three games of the season at quarterback, but has since moved back to receiver. Rostad, a freshman, is now the full-time QB for the Broncs.

Rushing (ranked by yards per game):

Hayden Van Winkle, Belgrade - 41-559-5 (139.8 ypg)
Jase Stokes, Havre - 100-656-9 (131.2 ypg)
Isaac Fry, Lewistown - 75-519-1 (129.8 ypg)
Casey Cole, Laurel - 46-388-8 (129.3 ypg)
Tanner Wilson, Polson - 58-440-6 (110.0 ypg)
Ben Voss, Billings Central - 47-418-6 (104.5 ypg)
Manny Rivera, Hamilton - 79-504-3 (100.8 ypg)
Colton Cote, Polson - 70-358-1 (89.5 ypg)
Alec Lovegren, Sidney - 67-444-6 (88.8 ypg)
Jemal Williams, Belgrade - 63-345-4 (86.3 ypg)

Receiving (ranked by yards per game):

Tyler Burk, Miles City - 39-703-10 (140.6 ypg)
Braxton Reiten, Columbia Falls - 22-511-11 (127.8 ypg)
Matthew Rensvold, Polson - 24-419-5 (104.8 ypg)
Louis Alejandro-Estrada, Stevensville - 22-292-3 (73.0 ypg)
Trevor Hoerner, Columbia Falls - 15-275-5 (68.8 ypg)
Ty Chouinard, Hamilton - 27-339-4 (67.8 ypg)
Sam Johnston, Butte Central - 25-328-3 (65.6 ypg)
Alex Gavlak, Stevensville - 14-257-1 (64.3 ypg)
Nate McGree, Butte Central - 14-308-4 (61.6 ypg)
Adam Botkin, Frenchtown - 13-296-1 (59.2 ypg)

Top Performances

Top 5 Passing Games (ranked by yardage)

Carson Rostad, Hamilton vs. Corvallis - 23-30-374-4-0 (first varsity start)
Dakota Bridwell, Columbia Falls vs. Stevensville - 18-29-373-7-0
Gabe Gundlach, Miles City vs. Lewistown - 22-36-373-3-2
Dakota Bridwell, Columbia Falls vs. Corvallis - 20-29-312-6-0
Gabe Gundlach, Miles City vs. Belgrade - 14-21-299-6-3

Top 5 Rushing Games (ranked by yardage)

Jase Stokes, Havre vs. Whitefish - 31-281-3
Hayden Van Winkle, Belgrade vs. Laurel - 12-275-3
Jordan Thomas, Stevensville vs. Frenchtown - 23-225-2
Isaac Fry, Lewistown vs. Sidney - 29-218-1
Manny Rivera, Hamilton vs. Dillon - 19-194-1

Top 5 Receiving Games (ranked by yardage)

Tyler Burk, Miles City vs. Belgrade - 9-257-5
Matthew Rensvold, Polson vs. Frenchtown - 9-179-1
Tyler Burk, Miles City vs. Powell - 8-177-3
Braxton Reiten, Columbia Falls vs. Browning - 6-144-3
Nate McGree, Butte Central vs. Stevensville - 4-142-2

Double 100-Yard Rushing/Receiving Games

Nate McGree, Butte Central vs. Stevensville - 3-106-2 rushing, 4-142-2 receiving.

Miles City Leaders

Passing: Gabe Gundlach - 89-144-1208-13-12 (leads Class A in attempts, completions, and interceptions, ranks second in TD passes and yardage).

Rushing: Jacob Morris - 74-302-1, Tyler Burk 20-71-0.

Receiving: Tyler Burk - 39-703-10 (leads Class A in receptions and yards, ranks second in TD receptions), Jacob Swope 18-213-2, Mason Dinardi 17-198-0.

[Edited by Brian A. Reed (9/28/2016 6:55:34 PM)]

Just because the score was 41-0 doesn't mean the defense was a failure, the offense could attempt to score and give them a break. I don't appreciate patronizing tone of the Sidney's offensive stats were the cowboys defensive stats, obviously I meant individual stats. In the future a simple sorry we don't have any defensive stats would be a much better route.

Levi, when you feel that you have put as much time and effort into researching and providing stats and analysis as I have over the last 16 years, then you can feel free to criticize the info I post or the manner in which I post it. But until you've documented every CCDHS game since 1972 and every Class A game since 1980 and archived the information I have, I would suggest that you not even try.

I responded to your comment in the way I did because you dismissed the work I had done and the information I did provide with your un-fu**ing-appreciative question about defensive stats. Don't like it? YOU watch the film. YOU do the research. YOU put in thousands of pro bono hours to put the record book together and update it season after season. YOU contact coaches and players and media to track down info. Do all that and then we can talk.

You asked about defensive stats after I provided more information about the game than you will find anywhere. The half-assed article written by the Star's editor had nothing. Want someone to bitch at? Look there. Shy of that, do it yourself.

Regarding the game itself, I was nothing more or less than honest. The Cowboys got housed. They allowed six touchdowns. They scored none. Sidney rushed for well over 300 yards. The Eagles outhustled, outexecuted, and outhit the Cowboys. It would be disrespectful to a program I love and have dedicated countless hours to if I wasn't honest about it. I've put in the work and I've paid my dues and unless you can say the same, we've got nothing more to discuss.

Great stats as usual. All fans of Cowboy football sure appreciate your postings and rankings. Great job.

Not to mention, as a Miles City Ex-Pat, It's great to see some of these names. Some familiar and some not. Great job as usual, Brian!

Thank you, Ike and Bob. I have never done stats for personal attention, but I do take them seriously. I figure that someone has to do it, so it might as well be me. I don't need people to thank me, but I certainly appreciate it when they do.

Good luck tonight, Cowboys! Play smart. Play hard. Play angry. Be the hammer, not the nail. Four quarters of taking it personally.

Talk about answering the bell! Way to go, Cowboys!

I will have much more later, but I wanted to make sure people had the stats for the game ASAP.

Miles City Team Stats

Team Passing - 21-25-256-3-2
Team Rushing - 54-269-3
Total Offense - 79-525-6

Miles City Individual Stats
Rushing - Jacob Morris 27-135-3, Jacob Swope 14-93-0, Ty Zehms 7-35-0, Tyler Burk 3-14-0, Gabe Gundlach 3-(minus-8)-0.
Passing - Gabe Gundlach 19-21-226-2-1, Arie Leischner 2-4-30-1-1.
Receiving - Tyler Burk 10-125-2, Jacob Swope 6-48-0, Zack Dinardi 3-53-0, Riley Weischedel 2-30-1.

Hardin Team Stats

Team Rushing - 20-50-0
Team Passing - 7-26-115-0-1
Total Offense (aka Miles City's Team Defense) - 46-165-0

Hardin Individual Stats

I'll leave that to the Bighorn County News or Levi Liles.

The Good: Where do I start? There were so many positives in this game. Let's start with this - the Cowboys posted their second shutout victory of the season and the team's second consecutive blanking of Hardin (a 42-0 victory in the sixth week of the 2015 season). The Bulldogs managed only 165 yards of total offense, including a mere 50 yards on the ground. Outside of three long passing plays to Tavian Jefferson that totaled 87 yards, Hardin was utterly ineffective.

The Better: The Cowboys accumulated 525 yards of total offense, their best effort since racking up 570 against Billings Central in the Derek Schell game of 2001. Miles City's total ranks as the seventh-best effort since comprehensive team stats started being kept in 1972 (the CCDHS record is 580 yards against Lewistown in 1982).

The Best: Miles City played four quarters of football and didn't let up until the game was over. The Cowboys had their most productive rushing game of the season and their most accurate game ever for a game with 20 or more passing attempts. Miles City was so dominant that the reserves got significant playing time in the fourth quarter and were able to mount a scoring drive of their own. The Cowboys matched their season high point total of the season, set previously in a 40-21 win over Belgrade.

The Not-So-Good: You mean other than Hardin's performance? The Cowboys' win could have been even more emphatic had three drives not stalled within the Bulldogs' five-yard line. Miles City had two drive-killing fumbles and a pair of interceptions. None of the turnovers hurt the Cowboys, however, and one of the interceptions came on a Hail Tyler pass on the final play of the first half.

The Bad and/or The Ugly: Nothing, save the Cowboy's white pants. Sorry, not my thing. The team colors are Navy Blue and Gold. White trim is fine. White away jerseys are traditional. But white pants? White pants are what Central wears on the road. But that's admittedly trivial. Whatever works, right?

Quick-hit Tidbits:

Gabe Gundlach and Arie Leischner teamed to complete 21 of 25 passes, good for a 84% completion rate. The previous team record for highest completion percentage in a game with 20 or more attempts was 71.4% (20-for-28) against Glendive in 2015. Gundlach completed the first 10 passes of the game and did not throw an interception until he was picked off on the final play of the first half. He then completed nine of his next 10 attempts.

As did the rest of the team, Tyler Burk rebounded from a below-average statistical game against Sidney with what has come to be expected from the superlative senior. Burk's 10 catches marked the second time in his career he's had double-digit reception totals. Alec Haughian, with three, is the only other Cowboy with more than one such game. Burk's 125 yards gave him his fifth 100-yard receiving game in six contests, matching his own team record for most 100-yard games in a single season. He also now holds the CCDHS record for most touchdown receptions in a season, with 12.

For the season, Burk has 49 catches for 828 yards and 12 scores. His receptions and yardage totals continue to lead all Class A players and his touchdowns match Columbia Falls' Braxton Reiten for the state lead.

For his career, Burk has 118 receptions for 1975 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has now moved past Haughian for the all-time CCDHS record for receiving yards and ranks fifth all-time in Class A history. He is presently two catches behind Haughian for the school record for receptions in a career and is tied for eighth all-time amongst Class A players. One more touchdown catch will match Haughian's team record. Three more will match the Class A record.

The Cowboys' backfield duo of Jacobs, Morris and Swope, each set season-high rushing totals with 135 and 93 yards, respectively. Morris had three rushing scores to match his career high, originally set last season against Billings Central. Swope, who entered the game with 14 rushes for 8 yards on the season, doubled his total of carries and easily established a new career-best rushing total. His 141 yards from scrimmage also set a career high.

Speaking of career highs, Arie Leischner and Riley Weischedel connected for the first touchdown of their varsity careers. Here's hoping for many more.

Again, I'll have more in the near future.

Congratulations again, Cowboys!

The Cowboys just got a gift that no one has any business accepting. Laurel's Casey Cole (QB) and Trevor Heying (TE) both have broken fibulas and are done for the season. Cole is one of the best players in the Eastern 'A' and basically Laurel's entire offense. Here's hoping they recover quickly.

Here are your Class A leaders for passing, rushing, and receiving through games of 10/1:

Passing (ranked by yards per game):

Dakota Bridwell, Columbia Falls - 90-142-1518-24-3 (303.6 ypg)
Gabe Gundlach, Miles City - 108-165-1434-15-13 (239.0 ypg)
Bridger Bauder, Hamilton - 44-70-554-4-4 (184.7 ypg)
Liam LeCoure, Stevensville - 67-155-866-4-10 (173.2 ypg)
Tanner Wilson, Polson - 51-87-848-9-2 (169.6 ypg)
Tanner Kump, Butte Central - 62-111-966-7-3 (161.0 ypg)
Troy Andersen, Dillon - 71-132-755-5-5 (151.0 ypg)
Trey Murphy, Havre - 52-98-722-8-6 (130.3 ypg)
Mitchell Norslien, Lewistown - 44-69-605-8-5 (121.0 ypg)
Zack Spady, Belgrade - 20-38-471-9-1 (117.8 ypg)

Passing (ranked by NFL passer rating formula):

Dakota Bridwell, Columbia Falls - 90-142-1518-24-3 (130.2)
Carson Rostad, Hamilton - 46-68-712-9-2 (129.4)
Zack Spady, Belgrade - 20-38-471-9-1 (126.2)
Tanner Wilson, Polson - 51-87-848-9-2 (116.5)
Mitchell Norslien, Lewistown - 44-69-605-8-5 (100.2)
Tanner Kump, Butte Central - 62-111-966-7-3 (94.7)
Gabe Gundlach, Miles City - 108-165-1434-15-13 (90.3)
Bridger Bauder, Hamilton - 44-70-554-4-4 (82.1)
Jet Campbell, Billings Central - 32-78-437-7-2 (78.8)
Ridge Albright, Corvallis - 35-65-496-5-4 (78.7)

Notes: Bauder started the first three games of the season at quarterback, but has since moved back to receiver. Rostad, a freshman, is now the full-time QB for the Broncs. Bauder's passing stats are based on the three games in which he played that position. Rostad's passing stats are based on the five games in which he attempted a pass.

Rushing (ranked by yards per game):

Jase Stokes, Havre - 117-793-10 (132.2 ypg)
Hayden Van Winkle, Belgrade - 49-630-6 (126.0 ypg)
Isaac Fry, Lewistown - 90-590-1 (118.0 ypg)
Manny Rivera, Hamilton - 102-681-7 (113.5 ypg)
Ben Voss, Billings Central - 58-529-8 (105.8 ypg)
Casey Cole, Laurel - 49-412-8 (103.0 ypg)
Tanner Wilson, Polson - 72-495-8 (99.0 ypg)
Colton Cote, Polson - 89-490-3 (98.0 ypg)
Blake Burton, Butte Central - 53-564-6 (94.0 ypg)
Alec Lovegren, Sidney - 85-473-7 (78.8 ypg)

Receiving (ranked by yards per game):

Tyler Burk, Miles City - 49-828-12 (138.0 ypg)
Braxton Reiten, Columbia Falls - 29-639-11 (127.8 ypg)
Matthew Rensvold, Polson - 26-456-5 (91.2 ypg)
Bridger Bauder, Hamilton - 15-211-2 (70.3 ypg)
Trevor Hoerner, Columbia Falls - 21-351-5 (70.2 ypg)
Ty Chouinard, Hamilton - 29-414-5 (69.0 ypg)
Adam Botkin, Frenchtown - 16-386-2 (64.3 ypg)
Sam Johnston, Butte Central - 28-382-3 (63.7 ypg)
Louis Alejandro-Estrada - 23-309-3 (61.8 ypg)
Nate McGree, Butte Central - 18-345-4 (57.5 ypg)

Notes: Bauder started the first three games of the season at quarterback, but has since moved back to receiver. His receiving stats are based on the three games in which he has lined up at receiver.

Miles City Leaders

Passing: Gabe Gundlach - 108-165-1434-15-13 (leads Class A in attempts, completions, and interceptions, ranks second in TD passes, yardage, and completion percentage).

Rushing: Jacob Morris - 101-437-4 (ranks 11th in Class A in rushing yards, ranks third in attempts), Jacob Swope 28-101-0, Tyler Burk 23-85-0.

Receiving: Tyler Burk - 49-828-12 (leads Class A in receptions, yards, and touchdowns), Jacob Swope 24-261-2, Mason Dinardi 17-198-0.

Here are the all-time Class A receiving leaders:

Ranked by yardage:

1.) Ty Morgan, Columbia Falls (2012-14): 130-2304-26
2.) Logan Harwood, Whitefish (2010-12): 121-2225-23
3.) Parker Filius, Havre (2012-15): 154-2150-15
4.) Jed Nagler, Whitefish (2013-15): 105-2027-20
5.) Tyler Burk, Miles City (2014-Current): 118-1976-22
6.) Bridger Bauder, Hamilton (2014-Current): 112-1971-22
7.) Alec Haughian, Miles City (2011-14): 120-1954-23
8.) Doug Reid, Billings Central (1993-95): 129-1929-21
9.) Kale Guldseth, Butte Central (2010-13): 148-1918-18
10.) Kevin Criswell, Colstrip (1998-2000): 111-1903-18

Ranked by receptions:

1.) Parker Filius, Havre (2012-15): 154-2150-15
2.) Kale Guldseth, Butte Central (2010-13): 148-1918-18
3.) Ty Morgan, Columbia Falls (2012-14): 130-2304-26
4.) Doug Reid, Billings Central (1993-95): 129-1929-21
5.) Logan Harwood, Whitefish (2010-12): 121-2225-23
6.) Alec Haughian, Miles City (2011-14): 120-1954-23
7.) Phil Antonioli, Butte Central (2007-10): 119-1792-15
8t.) Kevin Staley, Dillon (2001-03): 118-1632-12
8t.) Tyler Burk, Miles City (2014-Current): 118-1976-22
10.) Kris Cleveland, Hamilton (2011-13): 115-1840-15

Ranked by touchdown catches:

1.) Ty Morgan, Columbia Falls (2012-14): 130-2304-26
2.) Kaleb Johnson, Columbia Falls (2008-10): 72-1424-25
3t.) Clay Schreder, Sidney (1989-91): 101-1897-24
3t.) Steven Pfahler, Frenchtown (2003-05): 82-1459-24
5t.) Logan Harwood, Whitefish (2010-12): 121-2225-23
5t.) Alec Haughian, Miles City (2011-14): 120-1954-23
7t.) Marc Mariani, Havre (2002-04): 69-1638-22
7t.) Tyler Burk, Miles City (2014-Current): 118-1976-22
7t.) Bridger Bauder, Hamilton (2014-Current): 112-1971-22
10t.) Doug Reid, Billings Central (1993-95): 129-1929-21
10t.) Nate Simkins, Dillon (2013-15): 112-1596-21

There have been 22 games of at least 200 receiving yards in a single game posted by Class A players. Here are the top 10 instances:

1.) Doug Reid, Billings Central (1995): 14-290-3 vs. Sidney
2.) Ty Morgan, Columbia Falls (2014): 11-287-3 vs. Lewistown
3.) Tyler Burk, Miles City (2016): 9-257-5 vs. Belgrade
4.) Casey Norbeck, Butte Central (2008): 6-245-3 vs. Columbia Falls
5.) Danner Miller, Corvallis (2015): 18-242-2 vs. Polson
6t.) Zach Plum, Havre (2012): 7-241-4 vs. Browning
6t.) Nate Rismon, Havre (2015): 6-241-2 vs. Lewistown
8.) Tyler Murray, Hamilton (2011): 9-232-3 vs. Anaconda
9t.) Jarrod Wirt, Havre (1998): 11-228-2 vs. Sidney
9t.) Marc Mariani, Havre (2004): 7-228-2 vs. Billings Central

There have been 13 games of at least 300 rushing yards in a single game posted by Class A players since 1990. Here are the top 10 instances:

1.) Jolly Righetti, Whitefish (2003): 26-445-5 vs. Columbia Falls
2.) Cody Kirk, Frenchtown (2008): 24-377-3 vs. Dillon
3.) Nate Sanders, Anaconda (1994): 18-335-4 vs. Browning
4.) Xavier Morigeau, Ronan (2009): 42-334-6 vs. Libby
5.) Dana Knox, Lewistown (2001): 37-332-1 vs. Butte Central
6.) Shanon Williams, Livingston (2012): 39-330-2 vs. Columbia Falls
7.) Jeff Fischer, Laurel (2001): 25-325-5 vs. Billings Central
8.) Gus Butler, Frenchtown (2014): 38-314-4 vs. Corvallis
9.) Kelly Strobel, Miles City (1990): 42-312-4 vs. Glasgow
10.) Jeff Brokaw, Hardin (2004): 24-309-4 vs. Colstrip

There have been 14 games of at least 400 passing yards in a single game posted by Class A players. Here are the top 10 instances:

1.) Chris Klein, Billings Central (1995): 38-66-624-7-2 vs. Colstrip
2.) Chris Klein, Billings Central (1995): 30-55-523-6-3 vs. Sidney
3.) Dane Warp, Havre (2012): 19-32-438-5-0 vs. Lewistown
4.) Josh Link, Hardin (2006): 18-33-435-5-1 vs. Belgrade
5.) Benton Johnson, Billings Central (1994): 25-39-431-6-? vs. Hardin
6.) Connor Donahue, Whitefish (2010): 25-47-426-4-3 vs. Polson
7.) Bryce Carver, Dillon (2006): 22-33-419-4-0 vs. Hamilton
8.) Jared Winslow, Libby (2012): 23-37-417-4-1 vs. Columbia Falls
9.) Joel Fuller, Libby (2008): 27-45-411-5-5 vs. Frenchtown
10.) Jared Trinastich, Columbia Falls (2013): 29-40-410-5-1 vs. Browning

If there are any lists anyone would like to see, please let me know.

[Edited by Brian A. Reed (10/5/2016 11:45:33 PM)]

Brian, thanks for all the work you do. It helps us radio guys out with the great stats that you keep. I know that this is a labor of love for you. I wish there was a way to repay you. Keep up the good work.
Maybe the people that read the stats on here should know that at one time you were a CCDHS Cowboy and also the MC Star sports reporter. Thank you
Statman

I'm not even a huge sports fan and I love to look at Brian's stats. Always interesting.

In anticipation of tonight's game between the Cowboys and the Locomotives, here are some of the best performances posted by Miles City players against Laurel through the years:

Rushing

1.) Keith Wittenhagen, 1984 - 30-221-1
2.) Kelly Strobel, 1990 - 26-213-5
3.) Rob Dinardi, 1989 - 19-204-2

Passing

1.) Bryan Larson, 1994 - 6-7-268-2-0
2.) Ben Herzog, 2013 - 15-31-217-1-2
3.) Ben Herzog, 2012 - 15-31-206-1-0

Receiving

1.) Alec Haughian, 2013 - 13-180-1
2.) Tyler Burk, 2015 - 7-148-1
3.) Ryan Wagner, 1994 - 3-145-1 (includes state-record 99-yard TD reception).

Total Offense

1.) Ben Herzog, 2013 - 301 (15-31-217-1-2 passing, 19-84-1 rushing)
2.) Matt Blunt, 2015 - 278 (11-21-184-2-1 passing, 25-94-1 rushing)
3.) Ben Herzog, 2012 - 276 (15-31-206-1-0 passing, 15-70-0 rushing)

Yards from Scrimmage

1.) Alec Haughian, 2014 - 32-262-1 (29-189-1 rushing, 3-73-0 receiving)

Total Touchdowns

1t.) Kelly Strobel, 1990 - 6 (5 rushing, 1 INT return)
1t.) Justin Venn, 2000 - 6 (6 rushing)

Here is the series history since 1980:

1980 - Cowboys 31, Laurel 6
1981 - Cowboys 16, Laurel 14
1982 - Cowboys 6, Laurel 0
1983 - Cowboys 35, Laurel 0
1984 - Cowboys 35, Laurel 8
1985 - Cowboys 38, Laurel 14
1986 - DNP
1987 - Cowboys 9, Laurel 7
1988 - Cowboys 14, Laurel 13
1989 - Cowboys 17, Laurel 2
1990 - Cowboys 50, Laurel 26
1991 - Cowboys 37, Laurel 6
1992 - Cowboys 28, Laurel 0
1993 - Cowboys 21, Laurel 14; Cowboys 31, Laurel 8 (playoffs)
1994 - Cowboys 41, Laurel 0
1995 - Cowboys 28, Laurel 13
1996 - Cowboys 26, Laurel 7
1997 - Cowboys 28, Laurel 7
1998 - Cowboys 21, Laurel 15
1999 - Laurel 62, Cowboys 0
2000 - Cowboys 45, Laurel 18
2001 - Cowboys 28, Laurel 22
2002 - Cowboys 31, Laurel 14
2003 - Cowboys 41, Laurel 6
2004 - Cowboys 49, Laurel 14
2005 - Cowboys 40, Laurel 21
2006 - Cowboys 24, Laurel 19
2007 - Laurel 27, Cowboys 15
2008 - Cowboys 13, Laurel 0
2009 - Laurel 27, Cowboys 7
2010 - Cowboys 14, Laurel 7
2011 - Laurel 28, Cowboys 7
2012 - Laurel 34, Cowboys 14
2013 - Laurel 27, Cowboys 21
2014 - Cowboys 21, Laurel 13
2015 - Cowboys 34, Laurel 14
2016 -

Cowboys vs. Laurel (1980-Present)

Home - 15-1 (.938)
Away - 15-5 (.750)
Total - 30-6 (.833)

Regular Season - 29-6 (.829)
Postseason - 1-0 (1.000)

1980s - 9-0 (1.000)
1990s - 10-1 (.909)
2000s - 8-2 (.800)
2010s - 3-3 (.500)

Points scored - 916 (25.4 ppg)
Points allowed - 513 (14.3 ppg)

Longest win streak - 19 games (1980-1998)
Longest loss streak - 3 games (2011-2013)
Current streak (win) - 2 games (2014-Current)

Biggest win - 41-0 (1994)
Biggest loss - 62-0 (1999)

They may have lost their best player for the season, but least Laurel showed up for the game. Here's hoping the Cowboys' bus can find Denton Field before the second half starts.

Teams generally don't make the playoffs when they set records for turnovers.

Laurel 20, Cowboys 7 at the half.

Final: Laurel 28, Cowboys 7. Worst home loss to Laurel in terms of point differential in CCDHS history.

I will put forth a proportionate amount of effort here.

The Good: Since the Cowboys have been unable to win - or lose - consecutive games this season, it stands to reason that Miles City will beat Billings Central next week and keep hope for a playoff berth alive.

The Bad: Everything else.

The Ugly: See "The Bad."

Other observations: When Miles City lost by a score of 62-0 to Laurel in 1999, it was the most lopsided defeat in modern CCDHS history. The Cowboys were thoroughly outmatched by one of the best teams in Class A history, one with decades worth of chips on its shoulders. The game was one of the most humiliating chapters in the history of Cowboy Football.

This game might have been worse than that. Laurel was missing its best player and was playing on the road against a team that had everything to gain with a win. The Cowboys didn't show up to a home game, and that just doesn't happen very often.

.

[Edited by Tom Masa (10/7/2016 10:48:52 PM)]

In these hot doldrums days of summer, I am bringing this back to the top, in hopes that Brian will see this and decides to continue his excellent work and analysis for this coming season.

Chances are good, Gunnar!

I daresay they improve with every customer the good folks at AD Astra Air Duct Cleaning get in the Miles City area. They do good work and they're good people.

*Contractual obligation / shameless plug fulfilled *